KANSAS CITY: HITTING: With Melky Cabrera gone, OF LORENZO CAIN will get first crack at leadoff and centerfield. If he falters, speedster JASON BOURGEOIS, vet MITCH MAIER and prospect WIL MYERS are waiting. Former Brewer YUNIESKY BETANCOURT will start at 2B and has good life in his bat for a middle infielder. OF ALEX GORDON may not hit for average, but his approach and power are there. DH BILLY BUTLER is rock solid, but it's fair to wonder whether his power will ever progress. 1B ERIC HOSMER has MVP-type upside, and he's on the verge of figuring out MLB pitching. OF JEFF FRANCOEUR still chases too many bad pitches, but the organization likes him and he still has some pop and speed. 3B MIKE MOUSTAKAS is too good for the minors, but he still hasn't caught up to major-league pitching. There's a good chance he finds his groove this year. C HUMBERTO QUINTERO will be the main backstop with BRAYAN PENA backing him up. Speedy SS ALCIDES ESCOBAR's bat hasn't caught up to his glove. STARTING PITCHING: K.C. once again hopes this is the year LUKE HOCHEVAR puts it all together. His velocity picked up late last year, allowing him to be more than a groundball guy. Lefty BRUCE CHEN's late-career renaissance continues. He'll be a reliable veteran arm in the middle of K.C.'s rotation again. FELIPE PAULINO has the biggest upside in this rotation. He's always had one of MLB's best fastballs. His problem was that, when he missed (which has been often), it was usually belt-high and over the middle of the plate. If he hits his spots as he did late last year, he's got potential. But Paulino will start the season on the DL with a sore elbow. The Royals hope to solve JONATHAN SANCHEZ's command issues. The lefty is a risk, but has legitimate No. 3 potential. Top prospect DANNY DUFFY will get every chance to pitch his way into the Opening Day rotation. RELIEF PITCHING: JOAKIM SORIA is out for the season with Tommy John surgery, leaving GREG HOLLAND to pick up closer duties. Holland was the Royals' best bullpen arm in 2011 and his stuff has always been nearly unhittable. It's just a matter of whether last year's vastly improved walk rate was for real. JONATHAN BROXTON was a disaster last season, but he'll be given every chance to become the No. 2 guy in this bullpen because of his experience in Los Angeles. AARON CROW was a first-round pick (twice) for his college career as a starter, but wore down late last year, and walked too many batters.

LA ANGELS: HITTING: SS ERICK AYBAR will likely get another crack at the leadoff spot by default. DH/OF BOBBY ABREU can still draw walks and run a little. 2B HOWIE KENDRICK traded batting average for more power last year. He's still one of baseball's better middle infield bats. 1B ALBERT PUJOLS should benefit from DH-ing a couple of times a year. OF TORII HUNTER is fading fast and may not provide middle-of-the-order power. OF VERNON WELLS has a better chance than Hunter to bounce back, and the Angels have to be patient considering his monster contract. MARK TRUMBO will get a look at 3B. If he can't get it done, ALBERTO CALLASPO would start and Trumbo would back-up first and DH. Speedy OF PETER BOURJOS will start in left, and top prospect MIKE TROUT will soon replace free agents-to-be Abreu or Hunter. KENDRYS MORALES could DH regularly if his ankle is healthy. CHRIS IANNETTA is no Mike Napoli, but he's a monster upgrade over Jeff Mathis. STARTING PITCHING: JERED WEAVER had a lot of things go right in 2011, and it's not hard to picture him as a Cy Young candidate again. But he faded late in the year, and may not belong in the upper echelon or pitchers. A cutter has led to DAN HAREN's rebirth. He's right there with Weaver, just a step behind the elite arms. C.J. WILSON may not get the same run support, but he should benefit from getting out of hitter-friendly Arlington; he had a 2.31 road ERA last year. ERVIN SANTANA never developed into a top-of-the-line starter, but he's become more consistent and settled in as a solid starter. Once a washed-out former prospect, JEROME WILLIAMS came back to the States from Taiwan and delivered three quality starts last September. He's not likely to have sustained success, but he does have the inside track for a rotation spot. Middling prospect GARRETT RICHARDS seems like the most likely candidate to step into the rotation in case of injury. RELIEF PITCHING: JORDAN WALDEN will have the closer's role again entering the spring, but while he was overpowering he was also very shaky at times. He gave up seven runs over 2.2 innings in his last three appearances. RICH THOMPSON decided to lean on his cutter last year and the results were excellent. If Walden slips up, Thompson has to be in the closer conversation. LaTROY HAWKINS was solid with Milwaukee (2.42 ERA) and joins his ninth different team since 2003. He is expected to set up Walden as well. Lefty SCOTT DOWNS was far from dominant last year, despite his 1.34 ERA. But Scioscia does trust him in high-leverage situations, making him a possible fallback if Walden struggles. The Angels don't seem to have big plans for HISANORI TAKAHASHI, the most well-compensated long reliever in baseball.

Though it's only mid-May, few could have guessed Kansas City would have a better record than the Los Angeles Angels, who have a payroll roughly $60 million more than the Royals'.

That may not be the case much longer, though, if Kansas City can't snap out of its funk as it begins a nine-game road trip Monday night against Los Angeles.

The Royals (18-16) have finished with a winning record only once since 1995, but bold offseason moves to bolster their pitching rotation have paid off early.

Kansas City re-signed Jeremy Guthrie and traded for Ervin Santana, James Shields and Wade Davis, all of whom are part of a staff that ranks fourth in the AL with a 3.47 team ERA.

The Royals, though, have dropped six of seven after falling 4-2 to the New York Yankees on Sunday, with the offense mustering three or fewer runs five times in that stretch.

"We're still right in the hunt, but it's a long season," Shields said after the Royals were swept. "I've experienced (being) 11 games back going into September and making the playoffs (with Tampa Bay), so anything can happen. There's no panic here."

Alex Gordon, hitting .393 over his last seven games, and Eric Hosmer have been a major reason for the team's early season success.

"We're still in a good spot," said Hosmer, who has hit safely in six of his last seven. "We know if we just show up and continue to play, we're going to be where we want to be at the end of the year."

Los Angeles seemed to have that type of confidence entering the season, but it possesses the second-worst record in the AL.

The Angels (14-23) had won three straight before finishing with one hit - Mike Trout's seventh-inning single - in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Josh Hamilton, the team's prized offseason signing who is hitting just .203, finished 1 for 12 in the three-game set.

"I think if there is one thing we saw in this series, is that we have the ability to pitch well and I think we have to carry that forward," manager Mike Scioscia said

That hasn't always been true in the case of Joe Blanton, who will be seeking his first victory in eight tries.

The Angels have lost each time Blanton (0-6, 5.66 ERA) has started, though he's received only three runs of support over 20 2-3 innings during a three-start losing streak.

Blanton has a 3.48 ERA in that stretch after posting a 7.84 ERA in his first four starts.

"I'm not happy right now, but it does feel better to contribute and at least give us a chance to win," Blanton said. "The first couple of starts, I wasn't doing that."

The right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA in six career starts versus the Royals, whom he hasn't faced since 2007.

Kansas City with counter with a struggling start of its own in Luis Mendoza.

Mendoza (0-2, 6.38) has made four starts and has a 9.19 ERA over his last three after allowing five runs - three earned - in six innings of Wednesday's 5-3 loss at Baltimore.

The right-hander is 0-1 with a 15.00 ERA in two career starts versus the Angles, though neither came after 2008.